With temperatures nearly 90 degrees Monday afternoon, dumping a bucket of ice cold water on your head might not have been as crazy as it sounded.

About 40 Eastern Michigan University employees did just that Monday afternoon answering the viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, including university President Susan Martin.

“We’re accepting the ALS Challenge. ALS is a terrible disease, this ice bucket challenge is all about raising money to cure this disease,” Martin said. “Many of us will be issuing our own subsequent challenges on Facebook to answer in the next 24 hours.”

Martin was challenged by Central Michigan University President George Ross who completed the challenge last week and several others. Ross not only challenged Martin, but all the college presidents in the Mid-American Conference.

EMU Athletic Director Heather Lyke was one of several EMU athletics employees to take part in Monday’s challenge at Rynearson Stadium,

“We were just honored to be able to do it and we’ll all be making contributions,” Lyke said. “It was a lot of fun and we wanted to do it across the campus. We’re an integral part of the university and the university is really important part of the athletics department.

“We wanted to show the collaboration of all of us doing it together.”

Lyke went on to nominate the remaining athletic directors in the MAC that have not taken the challenge.

Along with Martin and Lyke, EMU football coach Chris Creighton, men’s basketball coach Rob Murphy, women's basketball coach Tory Verdi and EMU Vice President for Communications Walter Kraft took part in the challenge.

Two large ice buckets were hoisted above the group taking the challenge near the tunnel of Rynearson Stadium. Immediately after being drenched, several of the participants ran shrieked and ran from the area to avoid the rest of the falling ice water.

The viral fundraising campaign has taken the country by storm as nearly $80 million has been raised since July 29. The challenge requires those who’ve been challenged to dump a bucket of ice water over their head and donate $10 to the ALS Association.

If you do not complete the challenge, then you’re asked to donate $100 to the association. Videos of those taken the challenge are then posted to the internet as “proof” you’ve completed the challenge.

The ALS Association is a non-profit organization that helps those who’ve been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – and raises money for research to find a cure.